All the world’s a stage,
And all the men and women merely players:
They have their exits and their entrances;
And one man in his time plays many parts. 1
Preface by the Author
After reading through this chapter, I fear that some readers who may not personally know the principal
actors in this drama may draw conclusions about their characters based simply on their words and
actions during this particular scene, and conclude, not having read the entire play, that they were morally
deficient or even sociopaths or criminals. Yet just as no person—to my knowledge—is 100 percent in
the mode of goodness or 100 percent in the mode of passion or ignorance, similarly no person—to my
knowledge—is completely good or completely evil. We all have various mixtures of these qualities
within us. In this preface I would like to share my own memories of the persons who play prominent
roles in the three parts of this narrative, in order to show another perhaps lesser-known side of their
personality.
Yamuna devi dasi was a dedicated and loving mother; her children were always the primary concern in
her life, as we observed in Part 1 of this series. She wanted them to be happy and grow up in a stable and
protected environment, and did the needful—such as rejecting an abusive husband—when she had to.
She was also a talented violinist and regularly performed with our New Vrindaban orchestra during
morning services for years. She was always mild-mannered and quiet. I was grateful for her association
and glad to have her in the orchestra. Yamuna and her husband (still married today after more than two
decades—a testament to their compatibility) manage the New Vrindaban health food store. I always
enjoy speaking with them when I visit.
Hayagriva dasa was greatly respected in the community for his service to Prabhupada in the early days
of the movement (he was one of Swamiji’s very first disciples), and for his writing abilities, which he
always used solely for the glorification of Krishna and His devotees. I always looked forward to his
latest articles in the Brijabasi Spirit about the early days of New Vrindaban. He made those days come
alive through his considerable gifts as a writer.
When I saw him he always appeared to be a jolly fellow; laughing or joking. His deep voice resounded.
He seemed to really enjoy life. I always liked him. Acyutananda Swami told the story about visiting him
at his home at New Vrindaban. When Acyutananda approached the house, he heard loud Mexican
Mariachi music. He opened the door and entered the house, and there was Hayagriva, wearing an
enormous cowboy hat on his head, dancing alone on top of a table and smiling, with his record player
turned up full blast. Hayagriva sometimes used to play his trumpet to add a festive flavor for special
occasions.
I spent a fair amount of time with Hayagriva during his last days when he was stricken with cancer.
Even at the bitter end, he was still fond of making joking comments, seeing the irony of his situation,
and he always reminded me of Prabhupada and Krishna.
Kuladri dasa was such a great manager; he used his considerable abilities to keep the community
going. Prabhupada ordered him to serve Kirtanananda Swami, who— for the most part— provided
spiritual guidance and inspiration, but Kuladri did most of the dirty work. People used to call him
“Cruel-adri,” but I never knew why. He was never cruel to me.
Sometimes when I was back from the pick I would hang out in his office at Bahulaban and just watch
him deal with the never-ending problems of the community. He was constantly on the phone. Despite
great difficulties, I never saw him get discouraged or resentful. I really enjoyed his Krishna conscious
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association. In the recent past he returned to New Vrindaban to serve as General Manager for the
community.
Dharmatma dasa was my sankirtan leader for five or six years. During this time I always saw him
serving the devotees humbly, and catering to our needs. From my perspective he truly appreciated us
and understood the great austerities we performed out on the road. He was dedicated to his service and
we could count on him to answer the phone at all hours of the day or night in case one of our sankirtan
buddies had been arrested and we needed to find him and bail him out. We could always count on
Dharmatma. After serving time in prison he now lives near the Alachua Florida Krishna Community.
Tapahpunja dasa trained me up on book distribution in the parking lots of Northeastern Ohio in 1979.
He was an excellent teacher, and was very patient with me. Once I was arrested in the parking lot of the
Richfield Coliseum near Cleveland while distributing books before a rock concert. I actually was
arrested because I spoke truthfully to the security guard. The guard stopped me for distributing Easy
Journey to Other Planets and said I could not do that on private property. I apologized, and then he
asked: “Are you going to the concert?” I said: “No, I’m just here to distribute books.”
He then took me into the office and called local police who booked me for trespassing. When
Tapahpunja bailed me out, he admonished me: “You should have said that you were going to go to the
concert. Then they would have let you go free, instead of arresting you.” When Tapahpunja saw the
pained expression on my face—I felt I had let him down, I was such a useless devotee, a failure—he
kindly reassured me: “But that’s okay. You are a brahmin. A brahmin is always truthful.”
On occasion I traveled with him on the pick, but he always hankered to return to New Vrindaban. Once
in a while he would sneak back, but as soon as Kirtanananda saw him, he would get whacked by
Maharaj’s cane and kicked back out. Tapahpunja used to talk about the forthcoming World War III
which Prabhupada reportedly predicted. And wherever we would go on the pick, in Ohio, Kentucky,
Indiana, wherever, Tapahpunja would always study the map and memorize our position in relation to the
Ohio River. He said, “When this American society is completely destroyed by nuclear bombs, we will
have to find our way back to New Vrindaban on foot. The best way is to follow the Ohio River
upstream.”
After serving time in prison, Tapahpunja returned to New Vrindaban, and has worked diligently to
create a successful organic garden.
Janmastami dasa had a gruff exterior, but his heart was full of love for his spiritual master. He was a
tough no-nonsense fellow, but could also be kind. I first met him in 1979 when I briefly taught at the
Nandagram gurukula. I remember he was hauling wood for the school’s furnace. Seeing me—and
perhaps thinking I was a greenhorn unfamiliar with the intricacies of country living—he stopped his
labor and gave me some helpful advice. He showed me some poison ivy growing near the building. “See
that?” he said. “In the Spring, if you pick one of the young leaves and eat it, and continue to do so every
day, your body will gradually build up a tolerance for the poison and you’ll be immune for the rest of
the Summer.”
Years later, I once worked for him in Washington D.C. helping to sell flowers at sidewalk tables during
a Mother’s Day marathon. His shop, in a poor and run-down neighborhood where carjackings and driveby shootings where not unknown, catered not to physical comforts, but existed only to maximize service
to guru and Krishna. He lived very simply. I don’t even think he and his wife had a bed. I remember
seeing his kid in a playpen practically buried by enormous stacks of boxes and boxes of roses; it was so
cramped and crowded and filthy. The place had no material amenities, but the rent was cheap, and he
willingly performed those austerities to increase profits for New Vrindaban.
Tirtha dasa was dedicated to serving the New Vrindaban devotees. I remember when he was the
community bus driver, driving back and forth all day between Bahulaban and the Palace. He would go
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out of his way to assist the mothers who might have had baskets of laundry and small children. I heard
many stories about him protecting the devotees from drunken trigger-happy rednecks who frequented
the tavern on McCreary’s Ridge Road between Bahulaban and Prabhupada’s Palace.
Once, after the tavern drunks had a wild weekend harassing the devotees, Tirtha walked into the bar and
explained to the owner: “Some of your patrons are creating a rather dangerous atmosphere for the
peaceful people living along the ridge. Maybe you could ask the fellows to please desist from shooting
their guns into our homes. And while you’re at it,” Tirtha continued, “ask them to please not run anyone
over with their trucks.”
Then Tirtha showed him a few pictures he’d brought along from his Viet Nam scrapbook. I can only
imagine what the photos revealed, probably images of Tirtha standing among the wreckage of
devastated Viet Cong villages and piles of dead bodies, showing in graphic and gory detail what Tirtha
could do if he was so inspired. The proprietor just looked at the photos in silence. As they say, one
picture is worth a thousand words. After that, I heard the drive-bys and most other violent incidents
dropped off almost to nothing.
Tirtha was a tough guy, but he didn’t glorify in his toughness like a bully; he only used his fighting
abilities to serve the devotees and his guru. He only used his skills as ksatriya to protect the saintly
devotees and rid the community of undesirable influences.
After he was arrested and just prior to his murder trial, he became convinced that he was going to get the
death penalty, so he accepted the order of sannyas from Umapati Swami, on behalf of Kirtanananda.
Recently he has renounced the formal title of “swami” in deference to the many ISKCON devotees who
do not believe he deserves the honor.
During the last few years, Tirtha has written five books for prisoners to help them practice Krishna
Consciousness which were published by the New Vrindaban Office of the ISKCON Prison Ministry,
under the direction of the late NVPM Director Muktakesh dasa. Tirtha also has his own website at
http://tirthainprison.com.
Devamrita Swami, who appears in Part 4 of this series, was an intellectual fellow and liked to give
heavy lectures. He was famous at NV for his “Forest of Secretions and Emotions” lecture warning of the
pitfalls of household life. I saw him get a lot of sauce from Bhaktipada, but he was humble, never
challenging. The word “grovel” comes to mind. He became temple president when Kuladri left the
community. Devamrita faithfully defended Bhaktipada against ISKCON when Bhaktipada was
excommunicated. He even compiled a list of Bhaktipada quotations—nuggets of nectar—and published
them as a book: Bhaktipada Bullets.
He served as Bhaktipada’s editor after Hayagriva passed away and wrote an erudite 15-page preface for
Bhaktipada’s 1992 book: How to Love God. Devamrita explained in the preface: “Swami Bhaktipada’s
How to Love God ascends the heights of God consciousness in a way that modern spiritual seekers—
whatever their particular calling—will relish and ponder. . . . Read and you will see that Swami
Bhaktipada has indeed entered the rapturous garden of pure love. . . . Let us cast our lot with Swami
Bhaktipada. The pure religion his book elucidates will create the greatest heroes. Only bold spiritual
champions can actually effect lasting beneficial change and teach us How to Love God.”
Devamrita had a curious laugh which I will never forget: “Har, har, har.” The sankirtan devotees
especially were inspired by him and called him “The General,” comparing him to a great military leader
who strategically plans and heroically leads great campaigns of battle to rescue lakshmi from the
conditioned souls, especially in the Far East, where many of the NV sankirtan pickers relocated after the
FBI raid at New Vrindaban.
However, for some reason the householders were not so much enamored of him, and called him “The
Great Manipulator.”
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My brahmachari buddy Siksastaka faithfully recorded and transcribed Devamrita’s classes, and then
another big sankirtan devotee, Compassionate Swami (formerly Rasayatra dasi), arranged to have them
published as a book: Cutting the Knot of Material Existence, with a really cute photo of Maharaj on the
cover (yes, even Devamrita could be cute at times), dressed in his Far East Buddhist monk’s robe. (See
http://henrydoktorski.com/images/nv/cutting_the_knot.jpg)
In Cutting the Knot we can read Maharaj’s candid commentary revealing that ISKCON had lost its
potency because they had fallen into impersonalism by minimizing the all-important spiritual masterdisciple relationship: “The organization is subordinate to the presence of the great saintly persons,
without which, organizations, institutions, mean nothing.” Yes, Devamrita was one of Bhaktipada’s
greatest defenders.
He was always kind to me, and called me the “Prince of the Pick.” One time I traveled with him and
Siksastaka to a sankirtan event in Cincinnati, and he introduced me to the music of Thelonius Monk and
John Coltrane (maybe it was Charles Mingus, I don’t recall), by playing cassette tapes of these great jazz
musicians. Later, during the Interfaith Era, he acquired a large collection of cassette tapes of music by
Bach, Handel, Brahms, Beethoven, etc. and when he upgraded his music library with new state-of-theart compact discs, he gave me a big box of his obsolete classical music cassettes, to which I enjoyed
listening.
Devamrita was also greatly concerned for my spiritual welfare. After I had accepted an arranged
marriage, I was reluctant to fulfill my duties as a householder for more than a year, and—I am
embarrassed to admit—had once flirted inappropriately with one of Devamrita’s unmarried sankirtan
maharanis, who dutifully reported the incident to him. (To tell the truth, at the time I sorely wished I
could take a second wife, one more to my liking, but I knew that Bhaktipada would never allow it.)
Soon after, Devamrita called me into his office, chastised me severely, and warned me that if I didn’t
start procreating with my lawful wedded wife, I would probably start molesting boys. Although I had no
attraction for children in that way, he really scared me and put doubts about myself in my mind, and as a
result of this direct instruction about nine months later a new new-born Brijabasi appeared in the holy
dhama.
In 1995 Devamrita Swami returned to ISKCON and has served in some important positions, such as the
2005 GBC Chairman. I saw him I think in 2003 at New Vrindaban and during conversation I mentioned
in passing that some devotees thought that he should apologize for supporting Kirtanananda for so many
years. He replied something to the effect: “I’ve already apologized many times. I was here in New
Vrindaban in 199- [He named a year, but I don’t remember the exact year—HD] and apologized to
devotees then, and then I apologized again later to others. It seems that some people want my entire life
to be an apology.”
Radhanath Swami, who appears in Parts 2, 3 and 4, has always been the darling of the Brijabasis.
Everybody loves Radhanath. I first met him in 1978 when I moved up to the brahmachari ashram at Old
Vrindaban. He was living there permanently, caring for the deities. Kirtanananda ordered him never to
leave. He was humble, yet passionate about Krishna consciousness.
He never liked to draw attention to himself. He never liked to be the center of attention. He always tried
to stay in the background, behind the scenes, unless he received direct orders to the contrary from his
superiors. This was confirmed by one Brijabasi who described in his personal diary how Radhanath was
forced by Kirtanananda to participate in a play on Lord Nrsimhadeva’s Appearance Day:
Tuesday, May 23, 1978:
This morning we nailed Radhanath. Everyone wants him to play Prahlada [in the play] on Sunday, but in
his usual way, he stubbornly refused to even hear about it. He was giving Bhagavatam class this morning
and was saying, “If Krishna wants, we will be rich and famous. If Krishna wants, we will be poor, etc.”
4
So after class I asked, “If Krishna wants you to be in the play, should you do it?”
“Yes, if Krishna wants.”
“And you know what Krishna wants by what the spiritual master says?”
“Yes.”
So at breakfast we were talking to Maharaj about it when Radhanath walked in.
“Ah, Prahlada!” Maharaj said.
Radhanath meekly smiled and said, “You want me to do that?”
“Yes.”
So it’s settled.
For a long time Radhanath’s health was very poor. We thought he was slowly dying. If I remember
correctly, he even went to the world-famous Mayo Clinic for a week-long battery of tests. The doctors
and PhDs couldn’t find what was wrong with him. He returned to New Vrindaban as sick as ever.
Finally Bhaktipada said, “You should fast from cooked foods. You should eat only raw fruits, salads and
vegetables.” Within six months after adopting this diet, Radhanath was back on his feet and healthy
again.
I remember when Kirtanananda ordered him to take sannyas. Radhanath was beside himself. I remember
the expression on his face; such suffering, such pain. He did not want to accept sannyas, he did not think
himself worthy, and did everything in his power to get out of it, but finally he accepted his fate. There is
no doubt in my mind, that of all the dozens and dozens of devotees Bhaktipada awarded with sannyasa,
Radhanath turned out to be the best of them all.
Radhanath was always gentle and mild, and averse to violence. One year there was a big infestation of
gluttonous groundhogs who were devouring everything in the garden. Kirtanananda couldn’t spare a
“useful” devotee to do groundhog guard duty, so he ordered Radhanath—Bhaktipada sometimes called
him “useless”—to take a shotgun and sit in the garden, and if he saw a groundhog, to kill it. I heard that
Radhanath sat in the garden all day like a scarecrow and saw many groundhogs, but he did not want to
hurt them, so he fired the gun over their heads to scare them.
Although Radhanath may have been kind to animals, was not a pacifist. He clearly understood that anger
could be used in Krishna’s service. Few people know this other side of Radhanath; his rarely-exhibited
ferocity. Although he wouldn’t hurt even an ant, on occasion—if he heard blasphemy of another
devotee—he could become angry as fire and fierce as Lord Nrsimhadeva. Prabhupada explained that a
Vaishnava should become “as angry as fire” when one’s guru or another devotee is blasphemed: “One
should be very meek and humble in his personal transactions, and if insulted a Vaishnava should be
tolerant and not angry. But if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another Vaishnava, one should be
as angry as fire.” (Caitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.50, purport)
Let me tell a story to illustrate one occasion when Radhanath exhibited this particular quality of anger.
My godbrother Devavarsha dasa and I traveled with Bhaktipada to India for the 1982 Mayapur festival.
Dharmatma was also there with some sankirtan mothers. We enjoyed hanging around Bhaktipada in his
room in Mayapur, massaging his feet, serving him, running errands, etc. We thought this was the
perfection of our lives.
During this trip Devavarsha was sitting alone once with Bhaktipada in his suite in the Guest Lodge.
Bhaktipada was reading a Back to Godhead magazine. After a while Bhaktipada got tired of reading,
and then suddenly and unexpectedly became playful. He rolled the BTG into a tube and thrust it under
his dhoti by his crotch, making it look like he had a huge erection. Bhaktipada smiled and waited to see
Devavarsha’s response. 2
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This flirting conduct, although perhaps tolerable for a fringe devotee (one who does not follow the four
regulative principles), was completely unexpected and intolerable from a sannyasi, one who has given
up all sex activities, and especially Prabhupada first sannyasi who was one of the original eleven
ISKCON gurus. Many, if not most, ISKCON devotees considered Kirtanananda to be a pure devotee.
Prabhupada even once said Kirtanananda was a pure devotee. 3 Pure devotee means one who is free
from all material desires. It was inconceivable that Kirtanananda had fallen to mundane sexual life. A
pure devotee was supposed to spit at the thought of sex, not delight in it.
Poor Devavarsha was completely bewildered, totally shocked and confused. He had no idea how to
react. It was so unexpected. What was going on? Why was Bhaktipada acting that way? Was he
dreaming? Devavarsha was such a mental guy anyway. So he just sat there dumfounded for a minute,
and then silently left the room.
If Devavarsha had been homosexual and looking for some action, he might have opened his eyes wide
and replied: “Oh master, what a large lingam you have!” to which Bhaktipada might have replied, “The
better for you to worship, my dear.”
But Devavarsha was not gay and he was trying his utmost to strictly follow the four regulative
principles, and he was neither a worldly man nor familiar with the pickup lines gay men use to soundout prospective partners, so he decided he should consult with a senior Vaishnava, to help make sense of
all of this strangeness. So he went to Radhanath to reveal his mind in confidence and ask him what was
going on.
He told his story, and the poor fellow was again shocked and bewildered (twice in one day) this time by
Radhanath’s reaction: Radhanath became terribly angry, like Nrisimhadev, and roared at him fiercely:
“How can you say such blasphemy! You are completely mental and insane! You don’t deserve to be in
this holy place. I cannot stand to look at you! You are so fallen and base! Don’t you ever speak like that
again or I’ll have you thrown out on the street with the beggars and urchins!” 4
From this example, we can see that even a normally-humble devotee can become angry when he hears
blasphemy of other devotees, especially pure saintly self-realized devotees like Bhaktipada. Who could
possibly give credence to such an outlandish tale about a great spiritual master spoken by an unsteady
disciple constantly on the mental platform?
Although Devavarsha could have spoken about this to others, he was rendered harmless by Radhanath’s
severe scolding. He never spoke to anyone about this for twenty-five years. But, it would be seen, a few
years after this incident, another devotee also began spouting nonsense about Srila Bhaktipada, and this
devotee was convinced that Bhaktipada was a pretender and tried to prove it to others. New Vrindaban
residents considered him an envious demon. Without any fault he was biting and creating havoc. He was
a snake-like person; opposing ISKCON and New Vrindaban. His nature was demonic. He, like
Devavarsha, would also have to be “rendered harmless,” but this madman was not so easily dissuaded
by verbal chastisement alone. Stronger methods would have to be used.
Vaishnava scriptures sometimes refer to such envious persons who blaspheme the pure devotees of the
Lord as snakes, scorpions or demons, and explain how a saintly person should regard them. For instance,
a sadhu—although loath to harm even an ant—is happy when a snake or scorpion or envious demon is
killed. “So everyone is happy when a snake or scorpion is killed because they are very, very dangerous.
Without any fault they bite and create havoc. So there are these snake-like persons. They are envious
about our movement, and they are opposing. That is the nature.” (Srila Prabhupada, Srimad-bhagavatam
lecture, Mayapur, 2.28.77.)
According to some, Radhanath exhibited all the qualities of a true sadhu, not simply the qualities of
meekness and gentleness, but also the qualities of anger when a fellow devotee was blasphemed, and
pleasure when an envious demon who opposed the movement was killed. As we shall read in the
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following two chapters, it appeared that Radhanath, in his characteristic humble fashion, always tried to
stay in the background, behind the scenes. He didn’t want to draw attention to himself, but he exerted
his considerable spiritual influence none-the-less.
Today Radhanath is an incredibly successful preacher; and has become the darling of ISKCON.
Thousands of devotees are inspired by his classes and association. I am also inspired by hearing and
reading his classes. I think very highly of him. Whatever mistakes of judgment he might have made in
the past under the influence of fanaticism are now forgotten by almost everyone.
I have heard that Radhanath, more than all the other ISKCON gurus, has attempted to teach his disciples
how to love each other. Some have told me his disciples are very loving and very sweet, like their
guru—even perhaps to others who might not reciprocate their affection. This is very different from the
preaching I heard during my early days at New Vrindaban, and I heartily approve of this new
development in ISKCON. I think perhaps some of us older devotees might have learned an important
lesson from our mistakes made during our younger, more immature days.
In conclusion: Everyone, and I mean everyone, is made up of combinations of good and bad qualities.
One shouldn’t draw hasty conclusions about a person after hearing only one side of a story. In Peter
Brook’s memorable nine-hour play—The Mahabharata—Krishna speaks the following words to the
Pandava brothers after the death of Duryodhana: “No good man is entirely good; no bad man is entirely
bad.” I think these are words of wisdom, and I hope readers will consider that when reading the
following account.
Hrishikesh dasa (Henry Doktorski)
October, 2008
Author’s Disclaimer
Although I have obviously attempted to uncover the actual series of events of this narrative, I make
absolutely no guarantee regarding the truthfulness and accuracy of the following account. Obviously
there is much conflicting testimony in the record, and I have tried to avoid a biased presentation by
allowing equal opportunity for opposing viewpoints.—HD
To read the previous installment of this four-part narrative, go to:
http://henrydoktorski.com/nv/Saga_of_Sulochan_1.doc and
http://henrydoktorski.com/nv/Saga_of_Sulochan_2.doc.
The Saga of Sulochan, Part 3
By Hrishikesh dasa (Henry Doktorski)
One chapter from my forthcoming book—Gold, Guns and God:
A History of the Hare Krishnas in West Virginia
Tapahpunja Swami takes initiative to protect Bhaktipada
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Tapahpunja Swami, the former New Vrindaban men’s sankirtan leader and president of the Cleveland
ISKCON temple, was beside himself, and severely chastised Kuladri for allowing this to happen, for not
protecting Bhaktipada from Triyogi’s attack, for not having an organized security program in place to
protect their spiritual master. Kuladri explained: “Tapahpunja had expressed his concern that I was the
president and the board were not doing what we should or could to see that Bhaktipada was protected,
and that he offered, if any opportunity arose, that he would like to come down [from Cleveland], and
help assist or take some project that would help insure the safety of Bhaktipada. He indicated that I had
not done enough to protect Bhaktipada from getting hit on the head.” 5
Tapahpunja came to New Vrindaban and discussed the formation of a security team with New
Vrindaban management. They decided that Sulochan posed a clear danger to Bhaktipada. None thought
that the community could continue without Bhaktipada’s leadership; they believed their lives depended
on him. The top men concluded that, if push came down to shove, it would be better for Sulochan to
leave his body rather than Bhaktipada.
Kuladri, however, claimed that he tried to calm everyone and work with local law enforcement. He
didn’t want to incite distraught devotees to take the law into their own hands: “I know Tapahpunja,
along with other swamis, 6 were saying that the community had to do whatever is necessary to protect
Bhaktipada. I felt that the type of preaching that should be done in the community was one to calm
people, not incite people. And I think the language of doing whatever is necessary to protect the Swami
would incite people to . . . go to extremes.” 7
Other sources claimed that Kuladri was indeed an instigator in the murder plot early on; at least until he
realized the seriousness of the consequences which would ultimately descend upon the conspirators and
the community. 8
Tirtha recruited as hit man
Hayagriva, among all the New Vrindaban elders, seemed to be especially outspoken about Bhaktipada’s
well being. A crazy man attempted to kill his dear friend and Sulochan was suspect. How would they
stop him from coming out to the community and attempting to assassinate Bhaktipada? One friend of the
community, Russell C. (Randolph) Gorby (1923-1990), a 62-year-old retired steel worker who lived in
St. Clairsville, Ohio, suggested to Hayagriva that Tirtha should eliminate Sulochan. Gorby insisted: “Let
Tirtha take care of him. Tirtha’s the best man for the job.”
Hayagriva spoke to Kuladri and, on Gorby’s instigation, recommended that Tirtha should “deal with
Sulochan.” Kuladri remembered: “This was outside the temple area in a parking lot. Hayagriva drove up
in a pickup truck with Gorby. . . . He was very concerned . . . very concerned about the safety of
Bhaktipada, and therefore said that we had to do whatever was necessary to protect Bhaktipada. And he
said that he had spoken with Randall Gorby, and Gorby had suggested to him, and he agreed, that Tirtha
should be asked to deal with Sulochan. And that for eight or ten thousand dollars he could be hired to
deal with Sulochan.” 9
One member of the surveillance team remarked: “Gorby was more ‘fired up’ to destroy Sulochan than
any of the devotees.” 10
Tirtha explained: 11
One of the main figures involved in promoting the idea for a need to kill Sulochan was Randall Gorby. He
was local figure who befriended Kirtanananda and the devotees in 1973 when New Vrindaban was
attacked by thugs from a biker gang. Later Kirtanananda used him as a straw man to purchase properties
for the community. He was also a friend of Hayagriva and myself. . . .
Gorby actively recruited me in the beginning, saying that the New Vrindaban devotees were sitting on
their hands while Kirtanananda was in grave danger. He seemed to have a direct line to the police, which
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I found to be odd. Later I would learn he was a police informant for many years. He made some
convincing arguments, which at the time seemed plausible, though we didn’t need a lot of convincing. . . .
An assessment was made for the worst case scenario. Which was worse, losing Kirtanananda, having him
murdered by a lunatic fringie, or the fallout from having Sulochan killed? That’s why the decision was
made to kill Sulochan somewhere away from New Vrindaban. It seemed to be an either/or situation.
Gorby certainly fed into the situation, helped plan things, etc. He provided some technical advice, things
of that sort.
Gorby: government informant
It is entirely plausible that Randall Gorby, even at this early date, was working in cooperation with the
United States government. He kept in close contact with law enforcement authorities and his phone
conversations were recorded by the State Police. It is not unreasonable to suspect that Gorby
intentionally helped incite the murder of Sulochan so that the government would have a good reason to
come down hard on Bhaktipada and the New Vrindaban Community.
During the 1960s and early 1970s the United States government sometimes sent FBI informants to
observe close hand the activities of cults and new religious movements, but in most cases, did not
interfere with their activities. However, after the November 1978 murder of California Congressman
Leo Ryan and the cyanide poisoning deaths of 909 members of the Peoples Temple—a cult from
California founded by Reverend Jim Jones—at the “Jonestown” farm in northwestern Guyana, the
federal government became greatly concerned about the cult phenomenon and began aggressively
investigating the largest cults. 12
Joint House-Senate hearings on “The Cult Phenomenon in the United States” were conducted during
February 1979 at the Russell Senate Office Building in Washington D.C. and chaired by Senator Bob
Dole from Kansas. One speaker suggested that ISKCON was high on the government’s cult list. Jim
Siegelman, a recipient of the Leo J. Ryan Award and a Fiske Fellowship at Trinity College, Cambridge,
and author of the anti-cult books Snapping, Holy Terror, and Dark Hero of the Information Age,
testified: “We focused our investigations on the five largest cults: the Hare Krishna, Scientology, Divine
Light Mission, Unification Church, the Way International and to smaller groups.” 13
Another speaker, the attorney for the late Congressman Leo Ryan, specifically mentioned the New
Vrindaban Community and petitioned Congress to “exercise leadership in the manner of cults and mind
control.” 14
Some religious cults with federal tax-exempt status as religious organizations are apparently stockpiling
weapons according to reports in the Washington Post and other newspapers. One such report stated the
West Virginia headquarters of the Hare Krishna organization has a vast arsenal of weaponry stockpiled. . .
. Such hoarding of weapons must be questioned when it appears such collection goes beyond the scope of
an individual’s Constitutional right to self-defense. . . . The Congress has a responsibility to the American
people . . . . Equally, the Congress must exercise leadership in the manner of cults and mind control.
Janmastami, a Viet Nam war veteran and a Bhaktipada disciple initiated in August 1978, claimed that
government agents had conducted surreptitious surveillance on ISKCON and New Vrindaban, and even
covertly assisted in the murder of Sulochan: 15
First, the FBI had a list of “subversive organizations” that they were after. ISKCON New Vrindaban was
number four on this list, after Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Lyndon LaRouche, and Reverend Sun Myung
Moon. 16
I know these things because a fellow who regularly visited the Philadelphia temple, a person who came to
work for me for the entire time I was in Philly, came to me from the Sunday feast . . . and after working
for me for some time eventually told me he was an operative for the government. He was a “snitch”—a
paid informant—and nothing more, and they couldn’t care less if he was killed or not. The informants
9
name was Joshua Kunkle, a low-life street urchin from Philly who used to sell drugs to then-up-to seven
members of the devotee community in the Philly area.
In fact, this is where the plan to infiltrate “moved to the next level,” that is to say, this is a second point
(Randall being one of the others that we know of) where the FBI started to try to steer the direction of the
actions that New Vrindaban “was capable of” into the point where it was actions that New Vrindaban had
perpetrated and was therefore responsible for.
Kunkle testified against us—the New Vrindaban Community and I—in the data collection for the trial,
but his testimony (and my involvement in these events) was never entered into the court record because it
took the blame away from K Swa, where they wanted it placed, and put it at the feet of his subordinates
who actually did the planning of events that occurred. 17
Tirtha begins searching for Sulochan
Tirtha became involved in surveillance sometime in October, probably only a few days after Triyogi’s
attack, while Bhaktipada was still in a coma in the hospital. This was confirmed by Daruka dasa
(Tirtha’s friend who had instigated and assisted in Chakradhari’s murder two years earlier) in Los
Angeles, who remembered: “During October 1985, Tirtha called me and told me about Triyogi’s attack
and said that he suspected that Sulochan was involved with that somehow. And he wanted to know
whether if I had seen Sulochan anywhere around Los Angeles or anything. I said I had seen him around,
yes. He wanted to know where he might be. And he also said, if he was involved, we should get him.
My interpretation was he wanted to kill him if he was involved in the beating of Swami. I asked another
friend if he had seen Sulochan, and he told me he moved up to the Visalia, which is another farm outside
of Los Angeles that belongs to the Krishna organization. I relayed this information to Tirtha by
telephone.” 18
Tirtha recalled:
A key point was when Kirtanananda was attacked by Triyogi. That changed everything. It was no longer
a war of words; it injected an element of violence. Naturally, as a good disciple, I couldn’t sit by idly and
wait for the job to be finished. . . . 19
At several high-level management meetings, I was invited to attend. It was jointly agreed that Sulochan
posed a clear and present danger to Kirtanananda (others also). The top men concluded that it was
preferable to deal with the fallout of Sulochan’s death than Kirtanananda’s. No one thought they could
continue on without Kirtanananda. He was that important to them. It was as if their lives depended on
him. To a man they agreed they couldn’t imagine going on—as a community or as devotees—if
Kirtanananda was killed. The only solution presented was that Sulochan be eliminated. And if somehow
he slipped through [and killed Kirtanananda] because no one had the cajones [balls] or faith in Krishna to
do the needful—well you’ll have to live with being a coward for the rest of your life. 20
Bhaktipada indicated he had been asked about surveillance, but he dismissed the idea: “During these
months [when I returned from the hospital], I played no part in the management of anything. I do recall
that the question of surveillance came up and I laughed at it. I said, ‘Why do you want to do that?’” 21
Janmastami recruited
Janmastami explained how he was recruited to assist in the elimination of Sulochan: 22
In January of 1986, on my return to New Vrindaban [after the Christmas marathon], I was ordered by
Radhanath . . . not by Kirtanananda Swami, to terminate Sulochan. This happened with Tapahpunja
Swami and Tirtha in November and December of 1985. I was on traveling sankirtan until Christmas and
didn’t get back to the farm until New Years. Immediately on our arrival at New Vrindaban, Radhanath
sought me out and made arrangements for us to meet in his van, where he went through a prepared speech
that he had delivered to Tirtha, Tapahpunja Swami and Kuladri many times before. Later talks with Tirtha
confirmed this.
10
Bhaktipada’s chauffeur confirmed: “I was privy to much behind-the-scenes action, and I there when
Radhanath told Janmastami to ‘destroy the demon.’” 23
A teenage gurukula boy also claimed he overheard Radhanath order Janmastami to “destroy the demon.”
24
Kuladri indirectly implicated Radhanath when he said: “I know Tapahpunja, along with other swamis,
were saying that the community had to do whatever is necessary to protect the Swami.” 25 At this time
there were only three swamis at New Vrindaban: Kirtanananda, Tapahpunja and Radhanath.
Dharmatma claimed that Kuladri told him: “Radhanath, Hayagriva and Tapahpunja were pushing like
crazy for this to happen.” 26
Dharmatma wrote years later: “With all due respect, as I do like him [Radhanath] as a person, and he is a
sweet devotee, but still he was involved to some degree or had knowledge of Sulochan’s murder. I know
this for a fact.” 27
However, Tirtha denied that Radhanath played any part in the murder: “Radhanath Swami never played
any role in any criminal activity. No murder, theft, arson, etc. Kuladri I have shielded as far as possible,
even after he betrayed me and reneged on his promise to take care of my family in case things went
badly. . . . The government wasn’t interested in him anyway. They wanted Kirtanananda. . . . They really
only wanted Kirtanananda. . . . Dozens of devotees previously approached me to please get rid of
Sulochan, to prevent him from returning and killing Kirtanananda. Not one devotee ever said ‘Stop.
Think it over.’ All urged me to do the needful.” 28
Tirtha explained in more detail why Radhanath Swami could not have recruited Janmastami: “Why
would such an esteemed Vaishnava casually ask the New Vrindaban plumber’s helper to assassinate
someone? To what end would that have benefited Radhanath Swami? Even on its face it takes an
incredible leap to fathom why he or anyone would ask someone of Janmastami’s caliber to do this. More
likely, ‘Here, go plunge out a stopped-up toilet, or go to Pittsburgh and sell scarves, or maybe flowers.’
That is reasonable for the plumber’s helper. 29 Everyone knows who Radhanath Swami is. Thousands of
devotees can vouch for his character. The same can be said of Umapati 30 . . . and Kuladri. These
devotees know only their service to Srila Prabhupada.” 31
Radhanath himself stated: “Every single allegation against me is totally false. I was not involved in any
criminal activity.” 32
Qualifications of the three hit men
It is not difficult to imagine why these three particular men were recognized as the best candidates for
the job: two had military training and combat experience in Viet Nam, and one had been a radical
political activist in Berkeley, California.
Janmastami had served in Viet Nam, in the Army’s 11B20 Combat Infantry. He claimed he had fought
in dozens of missions, received commendations and awards, including the Medal of Valor and several
Air Medals, and was ultimately wounded in action. To this day he still has shrapnel in his body.
Tirtha had been a mean fighter since his early teenage years. 33 He later served in the United States
Army in the 101st Airborne Division as a combat soldier in Viet Nam, and claimed to have received
numerous decorations and awards for valor, including the Bronze Star, Combat Infantryman’s Badge,
Air Medal, Vietnamese Gallantry Cross with Bronze Star, two Purple Heart Medals, and numerous
division and brigade military campaign awards. 34
Tirtha was New Vrindaban’s most trusted and experienced “enforcer.” During his devotional career he
killed—with the assistance of Daruka—at least one devotee at New Vrindaban: Chakradhari, in 1983.
He had also been requested by Bhaktipada to formulate a kidnapping/murder plot to get rid of Richard
Rose (the owner of the original parcel of land leased to Hayagriva in 1968 which had become the Old
11
Vrindaban Farm) after Rose attempted to void the 99-year lease through the Marshall County court
system. Bhaktipada insisted that the murder be made to look like an accident. Later, the plot was called
off when the courts sided in New Vrindaban’s favor. 35
Tapahpunja, although perhaps not an experienced killer, was the son of labor-union organizers, and had
a fighting spirit. He had been a anti-Viet Nam war activist before coming to New Vrindaban, and had
been incarcerated in jail a number of times. He wrote: “Berkeley was then in a constant state of warfare.
Rallies, riots and rent strikes were common events. . . . Bucking the establishment began to grind on like
a great battle of attrition.” 36
After coming to the community he had become an expert sankirtan picker and leader, renowned for his
ability to avoid detection by the police. Some affectionately called him “Mr. Scam-kirtan.” Tapahpunja
would make the necessary arrangements, and Tirtha and Janmastami would do the dirty work. Others
who sometimes assisted during the surveillance missions were Randall Gorby, Gaurashakti and
Sthayibhava. 37
Sulochan claims his life in danger
In a December 6, 1985 letter to United Press International, Sulochan wrote: “These . . . gurus are
ruthless men and would not hesitate to kill anyone who threatens them. . . . There is nothing wrong with
the religion, only leaders who have become absolutely corrupt.” In an interview with UPI in February
1986, Sulochan said: “They are constantly watching me. I know some morning I will go to sleep and not
wake up.” 38
One anonymous former resident of New Vrindaban formed a “Committee to Clear the Name of Steven
Bryant.” She said: “Steve was trying to uncover a lot of stuff. I don’t feel safe myself. Every time a car
pulls up, I shake. I’ve talked to the FBI. The situation is pretty much out of hand.” 39
Hit men in California
Tapahpunja and Tirtha traveled to California during January where they contacted a San Diego devotee
known as a thug—Yudhisthira dasa—and attempted to hire him to kill Sulochan. “Tapahpunja Swami,
Mr. Scam, as he was called on the sankirtan circuit, had tried to sub-contract out ‘his service’ and he
contacted Yudhisthir (Jeff Cornia), a known gangster from the San Diego temple.” 40
Unsuccessful in their attempt, Tapahpunja and Tirtha followed Sulochan around for a few weeks but lost
contact with him during mid-January of 1986, when Sulochan left Los Angeles and traveled to Royal
Oak, Michigan, where he continued working on his book at his parents’ home.
Tapahpunja and Tirtha returned to New Vrindaban where Tapahpunja received the first of three
payments for their expenses. The first installment was supposed to be $2,000, but Tirtha only received
$1,700 in an envelope handed to him by Tapahpunja. Tirtha confided in his friend Randall Gorby: “Hey,
they are jerking me around on what I was supposed to get for what I did in January. . . . Seventeen
hundred? Why I was supposed to get two thousand!” 41
A few days later, Janmastami was dispatched to California, where Sulochan was still believed to be
living, to keep an eye on him. On February 4th, Janmastami rented a 1977 Ford Granada from the Ugly
Duckling Rent-A-Car agency at the Los Angeles Airport branch, and provided a cash deposit. 42 He also
checked into the Trade Winds Motel. 43
Janmastami explained: “Kuladri had called temple presidents on the left coast to boast that ‘I have hit
men in California already!’” 44
Sulochan threatens to destroy Kirtanananda and New Vrindaban
Sulochan sharpened his marksmanship skill on a target range by shooting a pistol at a picture of his arch
nemesis. Puskar explained: 45
12
When I returned to Los Angeles in October of 1984, Sulochan happened to be the first devotee I met. It
seemed as if he wanted someone to hang out with him. I don’t think many devotees were friendly to him
due to his criticisms of Rameshvara Maharaj. I had once heard that a pile of human stool was discovered
on Rameshvara’s vyasasana, and Sulochan was the primary suspect.
I spent the day with Sulochan and we traveled to the Three Rivers Community near Sequoia National
Park. One of the sights he showed me was his target practice range. He had a pistol and sharpened his
skills by practicing with a target. He said: “Take a look at this!” The target was a picture of Kirtanananda
Swami.
Sulochan spoke to me at length about his problems with his wife and children, and I suggested that I
should call New Vrindaban. I got on the phone and spoke to Kuladri and Sudhanu and attempted to warn
them that this fellow means business, perhaps they should consider his demands to get back his wife and
children. Sulochan was sitting right there in the room listening to my end of the conversation. Kuladri and
Sudhanu seemed concerned, but when they finally put Kirtanananda on the phone, he basically dismissed
Sulochan and said: “Krishna will protect me.”
Sometime during January, Sulochan telephoned Kuladri and said he was coming to Moundsville to
destroy Kirtanananda and the New Vrindaban Community “to finish the job” that Triyogi had started.
Kuladri said: “During January I received a telephone call from Sulochan and he told me that he was
coming to Moundsville to destroy Kirtanananda and the New Vrindaban Community.” 46
Tirtha explained: “Sulochan began telephoning New Vrindaban, threatening to kill Kuladri and his
children from a sniper’s position in the woods. He threatened to kill his ex-wife Yamuna and her new
husband. He declared war on New Vrindaban. His threats were taken very seriously.” 47
Years later, when Kuladri was asked, “Did Steven Bryant ever personally threaten you or your family?”
Kuladri replied under oath: “I took his threats on the community as possible threats to my family, but his
threats were only in connection to my support of Kirtanananda. He expressed to me that he had nothing
against me or my family, but as a manager under Kirtanananda, he had disagreements with me.” 48
Sulochan’s mother denied that her son threatened to “kill everybody like some wild man.” “He was
preparing an exposé stating all the things that he had uncovered. . . . And he was going to publish that . .
. his mission was to destroy the community with his exposé. And he said he didn’t want to go and kill
everybody like some wild man, but he wanted to destroy it by publishing all of these bad things he found
out. And his thinking was that by doing this he would arouse everybody to leave the community or do
something.” 49
It appears, from the testimony of Kuladri and Mrs. Bryant, that Sulochan’s alleged threats to do bodily
harm to members of New Vrindaban may have been greatly exaggerated. Years later, even Tirtha
admitted: “The entire community was duped into thinking that Sulochan was a huge threat to the
community. Bhaktipada could have defused everything at one point, but instead he chose to let it
escalate, perhaps thinking it was a rallying point or the catalyst for something greater.” 50
Sulochan returns to West Virginia
However, now that Sulochan was returning to West Virginia to continue his campaign, Kuladri appeared
to have had second thoughts about the murder plot; perhaps they were getting in way over their heads. If
Sulochan was murdered 2,400 miles away in California, law enforcement agents might place the blame
on Rameshvar and the Los Angeles devotees, but if he was assassinated in their own back yard in
Marshall County, authorities would certain suspect that New Vrindaban had a hand in the murder and
begin a thorough investigation. Kuladri tried to diffuse the situation by inviting law enforcement
authorities to become involved. Perhaps if the New Vrindaban “surveillance” team worked in tandem
with the local police, they would be less likely to murder Sulochan outright near home.
Kuladri telephoned Sheriff Bordenkircher who agreed to help protect Bhaktipada and the community: “I
felt that talking to the sheriff and speaking with the FBI was the proper way to defuse the situation,
13
rather than trying to incite people to extremes. . . . I called the local sheriff, Sheriff Bordenkircher, and
told him what Sulochan had told me on the phone, that he was coming to Moundsville to destroy
Kirtanananda and the New Vrindaban Community. The sheriff at that time said that if he is coming into
this area, can your people find him and let me know when he comes into the community so we can put
him, if he is threatening you people, we can put him in jail. So then I contacted Tapahpunja.” 51
On January 30th Sulochan left his parents’ home in Michigan and headed once again for Marshall
County, West Virginia, this time with a gun, which he told friends he carried “for his own protection.”
Attorney David Gold said: “Sulochan was very paranoid about his safety. He was jumping from place to
place. Whenever he would go to a hotel, somebody would call and ask if he was registered, or if
somebody who looked like him was there. He carried a fake mustache, a fake beard.” 52
Puskar confirmed: “When I saw Sulochan at the 1985 Los Angeles ratha-yatra festival at Venice Beach,
he was wearing a fake beard and funny looking eye-glasses with fake plastic nose; the kind you
purchase at a dime store.” 53
Tapahpunja—with characteristic expertise—called up Sulochan’s mother on the phone, pretended to be
Sulochan’s buddy Puranjana, and tricked her into revealing her son’s location. Helga Bryant related: 54
My son left here on January 30th and went to West Virginia. He called me when he arrived and told me
where he was and his phone number. He was at a motel in St. Clairsville, Ohio. He told me he registered
under the name of Tim Lee. Tim Lee was a good friend of my son’s, and his Krishna name was
Puranjana. Not long after, I received a phone call from a caller who identified himself as Puranjana. I had
met Puranjana about three years before and I didn’t remember what the voice sounded like. It was only a
brief meeting that we had.
The caller wanted to know where Steven was. He heard he had gone east and I guess he wanted to get in
contact with him. And so he basically asked whether he had driven the van. I said, “No. He flew from
California.” And then I guess I told him maybe that he picked up a used car that he drove down. My son’s
van was in California.
I gave the caller some information. I told him the telephone number [of the motel], and I also told him
that Steven—well, this was a fellow dissident, I might add—so I figured he would be interested in the fact
that Steven had told me that he was going to the FBI on Monday with all of his evidence. I also told the
caller the name Steven was registered under: Tim Lee—Puranjana’s Christian name. I thought at the time
he would get a kick out of that, that he was using his name, but nothing was said and I got kind of
suspicious.
After I hung up, I tried to contact Puranjana, but I couldn’t get hold of him right away. The next day
Puranjana called us and said, “I never called you.” And this was very upsetting to me, because I knew
they are pursuing Steven. So you better warn him that they have found out about him and warn him.
We knew Steven was going to be at the FBI that day, so we called the FBI in Wheeling, so we were able
to tell him. He knew he was going to move. That was the point, he knew when they found him he better
get out of there.
Randall Gorby, who lived in St. Clairsville, Ohio, explained how—with his assistance—the surveillance
team found Sulochan at the Scott Motel and followed him to the FBI office at the Wheeling Federal
Building: 55
I received a call from Tirtha. He said, “Randall, I have a telephone number in your area that I would like
for you to check out for me and see what it is or where it is,” and I told him I could do that. So, I checked
and discovered that the telephone number was of a motel across the river a short way from my home in
St. Clairsville, the Scott Motel. I went there myself. Tirtha asked me to check the name of Tim Lee and I
checked and there was a Tim Lee registered there. . . . I told him that I had checked the motel and that
Tim Lee was registered there and that there was a car in the parking area from Michigan.
Tirtha called and said that he and Tapahpunja were either in East Liverpool or Steubenville, Ohio, and
would I mind meeting them outside the motel and show them where it was located. They explained to me
14
that they thought it was Sulochan that they were following, and they had been trailing him. He explained
he had been following this individual that was in the motel room and that they were apprehensive that he
was going to harm the Swami at the temple. That they were keeping him under surveillance at that time.
We remained outside the motel up until probably 10:30 in the morning. At that time the individual who
was in the motel came out and Tapahpunja had his binoculars. We were across the street. They identified
him as Sulochan rather than Tim Lee.
Sulochan loaded some equipment into the car that was sitting out on the parking area and got into the car
and started driving out of the motel complex. From there Tirtha asked me to follow him because he
thought that he might be recognized; Sulochan would probably recognize Tirtha or Tapahpunja. So I
followed him into the city of Wheeling, West Virginia. I stayed in contact with the car and followed him
right up to where he parked outside of the Federal Court Building in Wheeling.
Tirtha and Tapahpunja were following behind me in their vehicles, and Sulochan did get out of his
vehicle and taking some papers and went inside the Federal Building. Tirtha pulled up, parked behind me
and got out of his car and walked up to me. Tirtha said, “That son of a bitch is going to the police and he
is going to have to be killed, and I am the one that is going to do it.”
Sulochan arrested in West Virginia
After Sulochan left the Federal Building, Gorby claimed that he followed him to a rented house in the
Washington Lands section of Moundsville, whereupon he telephoned Kuladri. On the other hand,
Janmastami claimed that the surveillance team lost track of Sulochan after he left the FBI office, and
then Gorby went to a phone booth, made a call, and came back with precise information revealing
Sulochan exact whereabouts.
Janmastami said: “I didn’t trust Randall Gorby right from the start and Tirtha’s claims of his
‘impeccable credentials’ did not hold water with me. Plus, if Randall wanted it done as badly as he kept
telling everyone (he was more ‘fired up’ than any of the devotees and that alone made me suspicious),
he would have gone and done it. You should have seen this ‘surveillance’ operation. Hare Krishna’s do
their Keystone Cops routine. Funny stuff. And then Randall runs off to a phone booth and comes back
with information, VERY, VERY specific information that ‘a couple of friends of his’ gave him on
Sulochan’s whereabouts.” 56
Gorby continued: “He [Sulochan] went into a weekly rental facility and parked his car out front, picked
up his bags, took them in and I knew that he was going to be there. I made a telephone call to the temple
to Kuladri, and I told him where Sulochan was located and I would suggest they swear out a warrant
they had talked about previously and get Sulochan arrested. He had made threats in the area so they
swore out a warrant for having him for having made threats against members of the community.” 57
Sulochan was arrested at a house he was renting on February 5, 1986 on charges of assault and carrying
a deadly weapon in connection with threats made against members of the New Vrindaban Community.
He was carrying a loaded automatic pistol when he was arrested. It was reported that Kuladri had met
with Sulochan earlier during the week concerning a threatening letter Sulochan had mailed to him.
In the warrant, Kuladri stated: “Mr. Bryant has repeatedly threatened my life as well as the lives of
members of New Vrindaban Community over the phone, in person, and through the mail. Mr. Bryant
openly admits that we should be killed. Bryant publishes D.A.S. (Devotee Access Service) and takes full
credit for the mailing of such literature (told me personally) in which he encourages the readers to kill
the leaders of New Vrindaban and ISKCON. He also states he is taking the law in his own hands and
carries a weapon.”
New Vrindaban legal counsel Tulsi dasa said: “The arrest of Steven Bryant is indicative of what we
have been saying all along concerning the state of mind he has been in recently.” 58
“Demon discredited”
15
New Vrindaban News featured an article titled “Demon Discredited: The Inside Story by Kuladri
dasa”—an interview with Kuladri by the editor of the paper, Gargarsi—in which Kuladri was compared
to J. Edgar Hoover, the first Director of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, who built the FBI into a
large and efficient crime-fighting agency. 59
All glories to Lord Ramachandra’s victory of the demons. When Steve Bryant, formerly Sulochan, called
me, my stomach immediately knotted and I felt repulsed by the creature on the other end of the phone. He
asked for my offer, thinking that we would buy him off from his previous threats to destroy the
community and its individuals.
I quickly responded, “I just want to tell you that you cannot step foot on New Vrindaban property.”
“Oh, yeah, well, your whole community will be destroyed within two weeks,” he said. . . .
Srila Bhaktipada returns from India, and Bryant shows up in the area. This is no coincidence; our anxiety
over Srila Bhaktipada swells.
Due to the danger of the immediate situation, one of New Vrindaban’s more exalted Vaishnavas—who is
certainly a liberated soul and beyond any varnashram distinction—plays the part of a ksatriya, with some
behind the scenes work [Tapahpunja Swami]. Soon, he turns us on to a hot lead: Bryant is in a motel near
the mall.
During the next four days we keep a 24-hour watch on the demon. We sit quietly as he spends five hours
with FBI agents in Wheeling. He leaves and then returns—another two hours. We can only imagine what
trash he’s presenting to the Feds.
We alert the Sheriff’s department that Bryant is in town. They request us to notify them as soon as we
spot him. We keep his location under our sikas for now. [Kuladri decided not to inform the Sheriff of
Sulochan’s location until later.] Four devotees and a good friend [Gorby] work around the clock to keep
track of his nefarious movements. . . .
Tuesday, Feb. 4: Bryant gives our men a temporary slip. That night we take some extra precautions on the
farm, especially for Srila Bhaktipada. We wonder if Bryant suspects our stake-out. Maybe he’s headed
back to the West Coast. [This was when Janmastami was sent to California.] . . .
Wednesday, Feb. 5: As the morning program finishes, I get a phone call in my room. Bryant is back! We
begin the stake out. Later that day two Federal agents pick him up. Little do they know that they’re
protecting the criminal. . . .
I finally finish up the complaint with the help of Magistrate Buzzard, who says he’ll send the warrant to
the Sheriff as soon as he records it. “Thanks, Hare Krishna,” I say, and head back to the farm. . . . A few
more calls from the stake-out. Bryant seems to have settled in for the night.
We’ve been up for five nights in a row, on and off the property, talking in phone booths, driving over the
highways, keeping our eyes on this demon. Who knows what this night will bring.
At 9 p.m., just as I’m ready to lie down for the evening, I think, “Let me turn him in now, so he can sit in
jail overnight.” I call the Sheriff and tell him I know where Bryant is, to go pick him up. The deputy says
they’ll go down to get him as soon as they find the warrant. . . .
At 12:35 a.m., the Chief Deputy of the Sheriff’s Department sends down two of their crack detectives.
They pull up to the steps of the boarding house and find Bryant descending the stairs. He has a fullyloaded .45 automatic strapped on his belt, and he’s intoxicated on a third of a bottle of Vodka.
The detectives grab him and take him to jail. The detectives obtain a search warrant, and after a quick
search of his room, find a hash pipe and other assorted drugs. Bryant is charged with possession of a
deadly weapon; assault, with drug charges to follow.
In one fell swoop, Krishna has discredited this man’s character and sent him to jail. All of our accusations
are proven and his credibility destroyed. Who can understand the plan of the Lord? . . .
Wednesday morning, 8 a.m.: The Sheriff calls me bright and early and gives me the news. I’m jumping
for joy on the phone, and the Sheriff sounds almost as excited as I am. I reflect what a difference it is
16
working with the local Sheriff’s Department. . . . I offer my respects and thanks to the vigilant Vaishnavas
who gave up their sleep and safety to help protect the devotees.
VICTORY TO RAMA!
P.S.—We’re still keeping a close eye on the demon. We don’t know if or when he’ll get out.
* New Vrindaban’s version of J. Edgar Hoover, Kuladri dasa, your servant.
Sulochan’s lawyer, David Gold, saw another perspective: 60
One key miscalculation was that Bryant thought the Sheriff was on his side, and so he kept him informed
of his moves to keep ahead of the Krishnas. In reality, Kirtanananda and the Sheriff were on the same side
of the table.
Shortly after Bryant’s return, Art Villa [Kuladri], the president of New Vrindaban, sought and received a
warrant from a Marshall County magistrate charging Bryant with assault for threatening the Krishna
community. The warrant was granted even though verbal threats are not a crime in West Virginia. And
because Bryant had been telling the Sheriff of his moves, the arresting deputies knew just where to look
for him—in a small boarding house just south of the Moundsville city limits.
When the deputies pulled into the boarding house parking lot, Bryant waved to them and stepped down
off the porch. He had just seen the same deputies earlier in the evening, and filled them in on his plans.
He thought they were merely stopping by for another chat. Instead, they placed him under arrest for
assault. During the pat down search they found the loaded .45 he carried for protection, so they also
charged him with carrying a concealed weapon.
The Sheriff got a search warrant and seized all of Bryant’s papers. Then he invited the Krishnas to come
down and look through them, and encouraged them to make copies of anything they thought might be of
interest to the Swami.
Sheriff allows NV to examine Sulochan’s papers
Sheriff Bordenkircher allowed New Vrindaban leaders to examine Sulochan’s telephone and address
book, a decision which he later regretted. Kuladri said: 61
The morning after Steve Bryant was arrested the sheriff called me and said that he had been arrested and
gave me the story before it hit the news that he had a loaded gun on him and things, and the sheriff felt
that he had defused a very difficult situation. And he was very happy that we had worked together on it.
He said that he wanted me to come down and see if there was any conspiracy, any relationship between
Triyogi, who had attacked Bhaktipada in the Fall, and Sulochan, who had been found with the gun. So he
invited me to come to his office, which I did. He took me into Chief Hummel’s office and asked chief
Hummel to show me Sulochan’s address book and diary. And he left the room. And Chief Hummel
showed me those things and pointed to a box, a few boxes, cardboard boxes full of papers behind him.
We looked through the diary and the address book. . . . And we discussed things. And I said it didn’t seem
to me there was any apparent connection between the two incidents. And then the chief pulled out a gun
and talked to me about other things.
[After I left Chief Hummel’s office] I came back [to New Vrindaban] and told the security people,
Sthayibhava and Gaurashakti. Gaurashakti asked me at that time if he could go in and see the diary and
other things. And I said he would have to talk to the sheriff about it.
Gaurashakti explained his part of the investigation: 62
Kuladri had called me up, and he had told me that Bordenkircher, the sheriff of Marshall County at that
time, had called him up and invited him down to the sheriff’s office to go read Sulochan’s diary, and go
through his belongings. . . . And Kuladri was telling me, and he said, see if you can go down and see it
also. So I gave Chief Deputy Hummel a call. And we spoke briefly, and I asked him about that. And he
said, “Yes, Kuladri was in,” and invited me down to see it also.
So I called up Randall Gorby, because he was very interested in this stuff. He had come to my house. . . .
Anyway, he lived about an hour away from us, Randal Gorby, and he drove down and brought me from
17
the community into Moundsville about twenty-five minutes away. Randall didn’t want to go. I said,
“Come on in with me.” And he didn’t want to come in, didn’t even want to go over by the sheriff’s office.
So I walked over to the sheriff’s office and I met with Chief Hummel and we chatted for about thirty
minutes or so. And then he showed me Sulochan’s diary. And he pointed over to the side, and said, he
showed me the bottle of vodka he had when he got arrested and showed me the weapon that he had when
he got hurt, showed me the mustache and false wig and mustache he had when he got arrested. I had
brought with me a pocket Dictaphone, a little tape recorder.
After Chief Hummel and I spoke for about thirty minutes, he got up and left me alone in his office for
about two or two and a half hours. And I went through Sulochan’s materials just very briefly because
there was so much of it. And what I did was, I spoke into the tape recorder that I had, information about
individuals who, in their own words, said they supported Sulochan’s campaign to murder people or
people who, in their own words, or in Sulochan’s words, said, “Hey, this guy, I think he can be of some
help in the future.”
Janmastami collaborated: “When Sulochan was arrested on a weapons charge, New Vrindaban and the
[sheriff] . . . conspired to study Sulochan’s impounded personal papers and belongings, including his
diary and from that diary a list of possible locations was made where Sulochan could be hunted down
and killed. . . . Kuladri and Gaurashakti made this list and Radhanath distributed it to anyone they
thought might, on their order, kill Sulochan. I was given a copy of that list.” 63
Surveillance team inspects abandoned mine shafts in California
Since Sulochan was in police custody, Tirtha flew out to California, where he met up with Janmastami.
Tirtha wrote: “It was in California where I met Janmastami, who was already looking around in the area
of the Los Angeles temple. He openly spoke of the need for killing Sulochan, and volunteered to assist
in killing him. He never said that he was under orders from anyone to kill Sulochan, but rather, insisted
it was his duty as a disciple of Kirtanananda. In his van he kept a large metal strong box where he stored
several guns, knives, and even a vial of cyanide for his avowed purpose. He flatly stated that the
surveillance exercise was merely a prelude to killing Sulochan.” 64
The two hit men attempted to formulate a plan in case Sulochan should return to Los Angeles, as they
expected he would post bond and be released from the Marshall County Jail. While in California, they
contacted people who might be able to assist them in their mission to execute Sulochan. Two disciples
of Rameshvar from the Los Angeles temple, Krishna Katha dasa, who owned a .45 pistol and served as a
temple security officer, and his roommate Premadatta dasa, became also involved in the surveillance of
Sulochan, as Krishna Katha reportedly claimed his guru had said that “Sulochan needs a new body.”
Tirtha wrote: “It soon became evident from speaking with Krishna Katha that he also had an interest in
killing Sulochan, referring to some vague comment by his guru about giving Sulochan a ‘new body.’” 65
Tirtha claimed: “Krishna Katha was quite eager to be involved in ‘something really big,’ as he put it. He
carried his own gun, which he was quite eager to use. He was with me until moments before Sulochan
was killed.” 66
On February 7th Tirtha and Janmastami made their first contact with Premadatta and Krishna Katha.
Premadatta remembered: 67
I was at the apartment with Krishna Katha. A knock came to the door. I opened the door, and there were
two individuals standing outside the door, Tirtha and Janmastami, who introduced themselves as “Mr. T”
and “Bhakta Barney.” They indicated that they were looking for Yudhisthira and they had been directed
to speak with my roommate, Krishna Katha.
When they asked for Yudhisthira, I was concerned, because Yudhisthira had a reputation for dealings that
were illegal. Krishna Katha indicated that we did not know where Yudhisthira was, and at that time, we
naturally inquired as to the purpose of their trying to find Yudhisthira. They responded that it was in
relation to an individual named Sulochan.
18
When Tirtha mentioned Sulochan, we were concerned. We understood that either, (A) they were friends
of his, or (B) enemies. Sulochan had written what at the time we considered to be more or less
inflammatory exposés, specifically targeting the West Virginia temple and generally targeting the
movement. It wasn’t a casual thing that they were looking for him to go have dinner with.
I specifically asked: “Let’s just stop everything right here, and let me ask you: What is your purpose? Are
you friends of this guy, or are you enemies? What is your desire?”
They responded that they were most definitely not his friends, that they were looking for him, and
ultimately they were interested in killing him. They said they were coming from New Vrindaban. Tirtha
did most of the talking. He said, and I quote: “Bhaktipada wants this guy gone.”
They indicated that Sulochan had been arrested in West Virginia and they were suspecting that he would
be bailed out. If he was bailed out, they speculated that he would return to Los Angeles, and they were
there waiting in case this occurred. They discussed different methods to attempt to find him. They
discussed driving through long-term parking at the Los Angeles Airport under the idea that possibly they
would locate his vehicle and then be able to know at least if he came back where he would go.
They discussed if and when they found him the possibility of giving him a drug overdose so that it would
appear that he was just a junkie who overdosed. They also discussed killing him and then very carefully
disposing of the body so that there would be no evidence, the idea of some abandoned mine shafts
somewhere in the upper desert in California.
Tirtha indicated that he had been following Sulochan and surveilling him for some time. Part of the time
using his own money, and part of the time, including the time that we saw him, he was being funded by
the New Vrindaban Community. He indicated that he was in need of receiving more money from them.
Krishna Katha remembered: “Tirtha and Janmastami said they were looking for Yudhisthira, a devotee
from the San Diego area who has a reputation as a kind of thug, if you will. They were hoping he could
supply them with heroin. Later they said they wanted to kill Sulochan, and they suggested a few
different ways that they wanted to . . . various ways of killing him. One of the methods was to obtain
some heroin and give an overdose injection and then dump the body. . . Beating him to death, throwing
him in a river. They were there because their spiritual master, Bhaktipada, an advanced person in the
sense of spiritual life, had told him that that is what he wanted done. I took it as a very heavy weighty
thing, here is this person who is receiving worship is ordering this, is wanting this to be done.” 68
Although Tirtha and Janmastami agreed on the ends, they did not always agree on the means.
Janmastami claimed: “Tirtha had some pipe dreams about chain sawing up the body and putting it in
dumpsters all over Los Angeles, but he surrendered to throwing the body out in the desert or down an
old mine shaft because it would be less physical labor for him. He had ordered me to buy a chain saw
and rain gear for the both of us, which I refused to do. He was not the boss of me.” 69
The next day, February 8th, Krishna Katha met with Tirtha and Janmastami at the Trade Winds Hotel
near the airport and took them to look at abandoned mine shafts in Apple Valley, a town in San
Bernardino County located at the southern edge of the Mojave Desert. Krishna Katha explained: “We
discussed an idea that had been brought to my attention by another devotee named Mahamantra, about
disposing of the body in some abandoned mine shafts that were in the Apple Valley area where he had
grown up that he knew about. Myself, Mahamantra dasa, Janmastami and Tirtha left for the mine shafts
in Apple Valley; it was about a four-hour drive. A long way longer than we were told. Four hours to go
and four hours back. We looked at mine shafts.” 70
Tirtha collaborated: “Janmastami, Krishna Katha, myself and one other devotee friend of Krishna
Katha’s traveled to Apple Valley in Krishna Katha’s Alfa Romeo [automobile] to look for mine shafts.”
71
Mahamantra related: 72
19
I grew up in Apple Valley, California, mostly. Its in the Mohave Desert, a high desert. There is not too
much population there. . . We drove to the high desert, and I was guiding them to show them a place to
put Sulochan’s body. There were some mine shafts and some power line roads. There was some
discussion between the two gentlemen in the back seat. Mr. T said he was tired of following Sulochan and
that he would like to get it over with, meaning to kill him, soon. The other fellow said he could wait a
long time if necessary. Mr. T. also stated that he didn’t think himself a very good devotee, and he thought
by killing Sulochan that would be a good service to his spiritual master.
When we arrived at Apple Valley, first we went out to a place near a quarry, out in the desert. And I do
remember Mr. T. saying he could bury a body out in the desert there. We then proceeded up to some mine
shafts in the mountains, and we got out and looked into two of them, I believe. I remember Mr. T. saying
he put different bodies in different ones, and he did mention Sulochan’s name and also a devotee up in
Sacramento area.
Sulochan reaches his “rope’s end”
But Sulochan remained in the Marshall County Jail. Nobody posted his bail, not even his mother. Tirtha
returned to Radhanath Swami’s preaching center in Kent, Ohio, and Janmastami returned to
Philadelphia, where he had a business selling scarves. There was no sense in staying in California at the
moment. But before Tirtha left Los Angeles, he gave two phone numbers to Krishna Katha and asked
him if he should see Sulochan or his van to call immediately. One number was the Kent, Ohio,
preaching center where he could reach Tirtha, the other number was the Philadelphia ISKCON pay
phone, where he could reach Janmastami.
Ramesvara Maharja was also involved in the conspiracy to murder Sulochan and asked his ksatryia
disciple to keep watch for him. Krishna Katha explained: “The only discussion I had with my guru,
Ramesvara, about Sulochan was a very quick occasion when he was walking by the sidewalk, and I was
up some stairs, He looked up at me and he said: ‘KK, if you ever see Sulochan, call New Vrindaban.’
And he walked on. . . . I had a fear for my own spiritual master. I felt perhaps his life could be in danger
as all the other gurus lives were. And because I heard that Sulochan may frequent the area, I kept an eye
out for his vehicle.” 73
During his confinement at the Marshall County Jail, Sulochan staged a three-week hunger strike: “I’ve
pretty much reached my rope’s end in combating this demonic cult on my own and so I’ve decided to
fast to death if I don’t get some government help.” 74
Scriptural justification for killing
Killing a human being was sometimes sanctioned according to the Vedic scriptures. The manu-samhita
states that six types of aggressors may be killed with no punishment awarded to the executioner: (1) a
poison giver, (2) one who sets fire to the house, (3) one who attacks with deadly weapons, (4) one who
plunders wealth, (5) one who occupies another’s land, and (6) one who kidnaps a wife.
Prabhupada wrote: “If a person comes with an intent to kill, one can immediately take action and kill in
self-defense. It is also stated that one can be killed if he comes to set fire to the home or to pollute or
kidnap one’s wife. Lord Ramachandra killed the entire family of Ravana because Ravana kidnapped His
wife, Sitadevi. However, killing is not sanctioned in the shastras for other purposes.” 75
In addition, killing is not a sin when directly ordered by Krishna. In fact, the principle scripture of the
Vaishnavas, Bhagavad-gita, was spoken by Krishna to his warrior disciple Arjuna on the battlefield of
Kuruksetra, not only to enlighten Arjuna with transcendental knowledge but also to incite Arjuna to kill
his brothers, uncles, teachers and grandfather, who happened to be fighting for the army which opposed
Krishna.
“If the man who blasphemed . . . is killed, his sinful action may be atoned”
20
Some scriptures advocate killing not only violent attackers, but also those who blaspheme the Lord or
the pure devotees of the Lord. Caitanya Charitamrita 76 relates the story of one great devotee,
Sarvabhauma Bhattacharya, who invited Caitanya Mahaprabhu to his home for lunch. His wife, Sathira
Mata, prepared enormous quantities of foodstuff. Caitanya Mahaprabhu was amazed by the “unlimited
quantities” and marveled: “Even a hundred men cooking on a hundred ovens could not possibly finish
all these preparations within so short a time.”
However, Bhattacharya’s son-in-law, Amogha, was a great faultfinder and criticized the Lord: “This
much food is sufficient to satisfy ten or twelve men, but this sannyasi alone is eating so much!”
Bhattacharya ran after Amogha with a stick to beat him, but Amogha escaped. Bhattacharya condemned
himself for being inattentive and allowing his son-in-law to blaspheme Lord Caitanya; he declared to his
wife: “If the man who blasphemed Sri Caitanya Mahaprabhu is killed, his sinful action may be atoned.”
77
“One should by force cut out the blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender”
Srimad Bhagavatam relates the story of Lord Shiva’s wife, Sati, who stated: “If one hears an
irresponsible person blaspheme the master and controller of religion, he should block his ears and go
away if unable to punish him. But if one is able to kill, then one should by force cut out the
blasphemer’s tongue and kill the offender, and after that he should give up his own life.” 78
Even a “meek and humble” devotee should “be as angry as fire”
Even the most humble devotee, Prabhupada claimed, “should be as angry as fire” “if there is blasphemy
against one’s guru.” In Caitanya Charitamrita 79 Prabhupada wrote:
“One should chant the holy name of the Lord in a humble state of mind, thinking oneself lower than the
straw in the street; one should be more tolerant than a tree, devoid of all sense of false prestige and ready
to offer all respect to others. In such a state of mind one can chant the holy name of the Lord constantly.”
Nevertheless, the author of these instructions, Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu, did not tolerate the
misbehavior of Jagai and Madhai. When they harmed Lord Nityananda Prabhu, He immediately became
angry and wanted to kill them, and it was only by the mercy of Lord Nityananda Prabhu that they were
saved. One should be very meek and humble in his personal transactions, and if insulted a Vaishnava
should be tolerant and not angry. But if there is blasphemy against one’s guru or another Vaishnava, one
should be as angry as fire. This was exhibited by Lord Caitanya Mahaprabhu.
“Saintly persons . . . take pleasure in the killing of envious living entities”
Some New Vrindaban residents compared Sulochan to Hiranyakasipu, a great and powerful demon of
the ancient world who, after a long reign of terror, was finally killed by disembowelment by the fierce
half-man and half-lion incarnation of Godhead, Lord Nrsimhadeva. Hiranyakasipu’s death created joy
for all living entities, even gentle and humble saintly devotees who were non-violent by nature. When a
great demon, or snake or scorpion, is destroyed, everyone becomes happy. 80
Translation: [Hiranyakasipu’s son, Prahlada, speaking] My Lord Nrsimhadeva, please, therefore, cease
Your anger now that my father, the great demon Hiranyakasipu, has been killed. Since even saintly
persons take pleasure in the killing of a scorpion or a snake, all the worlds have achieved great
satisfaction because of the death of this demon. Now they are confident of their happiness, and they will
always remember Your auspicious incarnation in order to be free from fear.
Purport: The most important point in this verse is that although saintly persons never desire the killing of
any living entity, they take pleasure in the killing of envious living entities like snakes and scorpions.
Hiranyakasipu was killed because he was worse than a snake or a scorpion, and therefore everyone was
happy.
“Such demon, who simply troubles the devotees, such demon, a very dangerous demon. So when such
demon is killed, even saintly persons are satisfied.” 81
21
A sadhu, a saintly person never approves that one should be killed. Never. Even an animal. A sadhu does
not approve. Why animal should be killed? That is sadhu’s business. But Prahlada Maharaja says: modeta
sadhur api. A sadhu, a saintly person, is also pleased... When? When a scorpion or a snake is killed.
They’re also living entity. A sadhu is never satisfied seeing another living entity being killed, but
Prahlada Maharaja says “Even a sadhu is pleased when a snake is killed or a scorpion is killed. So my
father is just like snake and scorpion. So he’s killed. Therefore everyone is happy.” Everyone was... Such
demon, who simply troubles the devotees, such demon, a very dangerous demon. So when such demon is
killed, even saintly persons are satisfied. Although saintly persons, they do not want anyone should be
killed.
“So there are these snakelike persons. They are envious about our movement, and they are opposing.
That is the nature.” 82
A sadhu, a saintly person, never likes killing of any living being. They are not happy... Even a small ant is
killed, they are not happy: “Why ant should be killed?” What to speak of others, even a small ant. Paraduhkha-duhkhi. It may be an ant, insignificant, but at the time of death he has suffered. A Vaishnava is
unhappy: “Why an ant should be killed?” This is para duhkha-duhkhi. But such Vaishnava is happy when
a snake and a scorpion is killed. Modeta sadhur api vrscika-sarpa-hatya. So everyone is happy when a
snake or scorpion is killed because they are very, very dangerous. Without any fault they bite and create
havoc. So there are these snake-like persons. They are envious about our movement, and they are
opposing. That is the nature.
Even if the New Vrindaban ksatriyas failed in their attempt to assassinate Sulochan, they believed that
their lives would still be successful, for if somehow they were to die performing their prescribed duty
they would ascend to the heavenly planets. Krishna promised Arjuna: “O Partha, happy are the ksatriyas
to whom such fighting opportunities come unsought, opening for them the doors of the heavenly
planets.” Prabhupada elaborated: “If he [Arjuna] should conquer his enemies, he would enjoy the
kingdom; and if he should die in the battle, he would be elevated to the heavenly planets, whose doors
were wide open to him. Fighting would be for his benefit in either case.” 83
Clearly, Sulochan was one “who blasphemed the devotees of the Lord” and carried a “deadly weapon”
“with an intent to kill.” He deserved to have his “tongue cut out” (just as he once had allegedly
threatened to cut the tongue of his two-year-old stepson) and be “killed in self-defense” “with no
punishment awarded to the executioner.” Even a “very meek and humble” devotee should become
“angry like fire, wanting to kill” the offender, “when there is blasphemy committed against superiors.”
“When such demon is killed, even saintly persons are satisfied.”
Those involved in the plot to destroy the demon Sulochan appeared confident that their actions were
sanctioned by guru, sadhu and sastra, and would be pleasing to Prabhupada and Krishna. Even a
normally kind and humble devotee who would never harm an ant could take part in this noble mission
with enthusiasm. Some may have even felt special honor to be called by Krishna to perform such a
glorious task: to render valuable service by protecting the saintly pure devotee of the Lord. What sincere
disciple could ask for more?
-To be continued….
1
William Shakespeare, As You Like It.
2
Devavarsha dasa, conversation with the author (October 2007).
Yasomatinandan dasa, who was initiated in New Vrindaban in September 1972, wrote: “I was present in Los Angeles on the
day when Srila Prabhupada said on the morning walk: ‘Kirtanananda, he is a pure devotee.’” From Yasomatinandana dasa,
“Vyasa-puja Homage,” Sri Vyasa-puja (August 21, 1981), 6.
3
22
4
Radhanath Swami, cited by Devavarsha dasa, conversation with the author (October 2007).
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III (March 13, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 454.
5
6
To my knowledge, in 1985 and early 1986 there were only two swamis besides Kirtanananda at New Vrindaban:
Tapahpunja Swami and Radhanath Swami.
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III (March 13, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 475.
7
See: Janmastami dasa, “New Vrindaban History, for the Record, Sampradaya Sun (December 22, 2006), and Tirtha Swami,
Unpublished Manuscript (1994) “concerning mostly the activities that I was personally involved in at New Vrindaban.”
8
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III (March 13, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 474.
9
10
Janmastami dasa, e-mail letter to the author (August 1, 2008).
11
Tirtha, letter to the author (October 12, 2004).
12
On November 14, 1978, Congressman Leo Ryan, a Democrat representing a district in Northern California, flew to
Georgetown, Guyana (150 miles from Jonestown), along with a team of 18 people consisting of government officials, media
representatives and some “concerned relatives” of Jonestown members. Ryan and the others intended to investigate
allegations that included daily human rights violations, charges of false imprisonment and the forced confiscation of money
and passports, mass suicide rehearsals, and the murder of seven attempted defectors. After visiting Jonestown, the
Congressman and four others were murdered on November 18 th when members of the Temple’s Red Brigade security squad
open fired upon their plane on the runway of the Port Kaituma airstrip.
“Statements of Flo Conway and Jim Siegelman,” The Cult Phenomenon in the United States, Joint-Congressional
Proceedings (February 5, 1979).
13
“Statement of Jackie Speier,” The Cult Phenomenon in the United States, Joint-Congressional Proceedings (February 5,
1979).
14
15
Janmastami dasa, e-mail letter to the author (August 22, 2008).
16
In 1982 Reverend Moon was convicted by the U. S. government for filing false federal income tax returns and conspiracy.
His conviction was upheld on appeal in a split decision. He was given a prison sentence and spent 18 months in the Federal
Correctional Institution in Danbury, Connecticut. Many individuals, organizations and religious figures protested the charges,
saying that they were unjust and threatened freedom of religion and free speech. Based on this case, reporter Carlton
Sherwood wrote the book Inquisition: The Persecution and Prosecution of the Reverend Sun Myung Moon.
On October 23, 1985, a federal grand jury issued a thirty-five-count indictment charging Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh and
several other disciples with conspiracy to evade immigration laws. Rajneesh, on the advice of his lawyers, entered an “Alford
plea”—through which a suspect does not admit guilt, but does concede there is enough evidence to convict him—to one
count of making false statements to an immigration official, and one count of conspiracy to have followers stay in the country
illegally by having them enter into sham marriages. Under the deal his lawyers made with the United States Attorney's office,
he was given a 10-year suspended sentence and placed on five years’ probation; in addition, he agreed to pay $400,000 in
fines and prosecution costs, to leave the United States and not to return for at least five years without the permission of the
United States Attorney General.
In October 1986, the FBI and Virginia state authorities raided the LaRouche headquarters in Leesburg in search of evidence
to support accusations of fraud. LaRouche and six associates were charged with conspiracy to obstruct the investigation and
mail fraud related to fundraising. After many delays it became a mistrial. A different grand jury charged LaRouche with
conspiring to hide his personal income since 1979, the last year he had filed a federal tax return. In December 1988, a federal
jury in Alexandria, Virginia convicted LaRouche and his associates, and LaRouche was sentenced to fifteen years in prison.
LaRouche served five years of his sentence and was paroled.
23
Tirtha confirmed: “Probably the luckiest person was Janmastami—they easily could have taken him but instead they were
focused on K. He really did get a free pass.” Tirtha, letter to the author (October 12, 2004).
17
Daruka dasa, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day II
(March 12, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 275-276.
18
19
Tirtha Swami, letter to the author (August 13, 2003).
20
Tirtha Swami, letter to the author (September 23, 2003).
Kirtanananda Swami, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff,
v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc.,
Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,”
Day VII (March 19, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1737.
21
22
Janmastami dasa, “New Vrindaban History, for the Record,” The Sampradaya Sun (December 22, 2006).
23
Priyasrava dasa, conversation with the author (September 14, 2003).
24
Hariscandra dasa, conversation with the author (January 9, 2007).
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III (March 13, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 475.
25
Kuladri, cited by Dharmatma, from Trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America,
Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan,
Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a
Jury,” Day IV (March 14, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 832-837, 941.
26
27
Dharmatma dasa, letter to Hansadutta (August 26, 1994). See
http://www.hansadutta.com/ART_NAMHATTA/prSPMAY18.html.
28
Tirtha, letter to the author (May 5, 2005).
Tirtha’s logic escapes me. Because Janmastami ran a business selling scarves and flowers and sometimes worked as the
plumber’s helper, he could not have been recruited to eliminate Sulochan? But who was Tirtha? He was the community bus
driver, hardly a more prestigious position.
29
Umapati’s name is conspicuous by its absence in this tale. He was certainly living at New Vrindaban during this time, as I
remember meeting him at Allegheny General Hospital in November 1985 while Bhaktipada was in a coma. I also remember
him speaking at Bhaktipada’s Vyasa-puja festival in September 1986.
30
31
Tirtha, “A Letter from Tirtha in Prison,” Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
Radhanath Swami, cited in “GBC Statement by ISKCON GBC Executive Committee” (January 10, 2007). See
http://www.chakra.org/announcements/AOtherJan11_07.html.
32
“In my own upbringing I found myself in a strict household. Slaps to the face and head, occasional punches, lots of
spankings in pre-teen years—all led to a bitterness in me that resulted in a complete rejection of all family ties. My father
beat me up really severely twice—I never attempted to hit him back for fear I’d be put in jail. By the time I was fifteen I
could defeat most the kids in high school, but I had to let my father believe he could still dominate me like that. On one
occasion I had beat up two guys around my age who were the Western New York Golden Gloves champs. Their father came
over to our house demanding my father pay the medical bills for his son. So my father yelled for me to come downstairs, and
that’s when the man saw me. They had told him I was a really big guy who had used some brass knuckles. It soon sunk in
that I wasn’t any bigger than they were—I was just a lot meaner. Anyway, he dropped the whole thing and seemed
embarrassed, but I got the beating of a lifetime [from my father] afterward.” Tirtha, letter to the author (October 15, 2003).
33
34
Tirtha, The Definitive Guide to Practicing Krishna Consciousness in Prison (New Vrindaban Prison Ministry: 2005), 66.
35
Tirtha, “A Letter from Tirtha in Prison,” Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
36
Tapahpunja, “As My Word Ends—Where to Now?” Brijabasi Spirit, vol. 3, no. 10 (October 1976), 12.
37
To my knowledge, Gaurashakti and Sthayibhava were not involved in the murder conspiracy.
24
Sulochan dasa, quoted by Thomas Ferraro in “Krishnas Involved in Seamy Accusations, Including Murder,” Sunday NewsRegister (July 6, 1986).
38
Anonymous woman, quoted by Thomas Ferraro in “Krishnas Involved in Seamy Accusations, Including Murder,” Sunday
News-Register (July 6, 1986).
39
40
Janmastami dasa, “New Vrindaban History, for the Record,” Sampradaya Sun (December 22, 2006).
Tirtha, cited by Randall Gorby in trial transcript by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff,
v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc.,
Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,”
Day VI (March 18, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1696, 1700.
41
42
Gabriel Alon, co-owner of Ugly Duckling Rent-A-Car, Los Angeles Airport branch, from Trial transcript, cited by Halasz
& Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven
Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable
Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day IV (March 14, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia,
1097-1093, 1102.
Paul Tippin, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 9087 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of
Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V (March
15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1201.
43
44
Janmastami dasa, “New Vrindaban History, for the Record, Sampradaya Sun (December 22, 2006).
45
Puskar dasa, telephone conversation with the author (September 28, 2008).
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day II (March 12, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 453.
46
47
Tirtha dasa, “A Letter From Tirtha In Prison,” The Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
Kuladri dasa, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III
(March 13, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 564.
48
Helga Bryant, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day VI
(March 18, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1422.
49
50
Tirtha, letter to the author (March 25, 2006).
Kuladri dasa, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day II
(March 12, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 465-466, 454.
51
David Gold, cited by Elizabeth Fernandez in “Mysterious Murder Silences a Maverick Krishna,” San Francisco Examiner
(July 6, 1986), A-12.
52
53
Puskar dasa, e-mail letter to the author (September 26, 2008).
Helga Bryant, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day VI
(March 18, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1423-1428.
54
Randall Gorby, cited in trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v.
CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc.,
Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,”
Day V (March 15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1131-1139.
55
25
56
Janmastami, e-mail letter to the author (August 1, 2008).
Randall Gorby, cited in trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v.
CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc.,
Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,”
Day V (March 15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1141-1142.
57
58
Tulsi dasa quoted in “Ex-Hare Krishna Devotee Arrested,” Wheeling Intelligencer (February 7, 1986).
59
Kuladri dasa, “Demon Discredited: The Inside Story,” New Vrindaban News (February 10, 1986), 2-3.
60
David Gold, After the Absolute, chapter 17.
Kuladri dasa, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 90-87 Keith Gordon
Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of Healing, Inc.,
Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day III (March 13, 1991),
Martinsburg, West Virginia, 467-469.
61
Gaurashakti, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 9087 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of
Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V (March
15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1258-1259.
62
63
Janmastami dasa, “New Vrindaban History, for the Record,” Sampradaya Sun (December 22, 2006).
64
Tirtha dasa, “A Letter from Tirtha in Prison,” Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
65
Tirtha dasa, “A Letter from Tirtha in Prison,” Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
66
Tirtha, letter to the author (October 12, 2004).
Premadatta, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR 9087 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral of
Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V (March
15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1281-1288.
67
Krishna Katha, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V
(March 15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1324-1328.
68
69
Janmastami, e-mail letter to the author (August 1, 2008).
Krishna Katha, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V
(March 15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1334-1337.
70
71
Tirtha dasa, “A Letter from Tirtha in Prison,” Sampradaya Sun (January 8, 2007).
Mahamantra dasa, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v.
CR 90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc.,
Cathedral of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,”
Day VI (March 18, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1400-1402.
72
Krishna Katha, from trial transcript, cited by Halasz & Halasz, court reporters, “United States of America, Plaintiff, v. CR
90-87 Keith Gordon Ham, Terry Sheldon, Steven Fitzpatrick, New Vrindaban Community, Inc., Govardhan, Inc., Cathedral
of Healing, Inc., Defendants, Before: Honorable Robert R. Merhige, Jr., United States District Judge and a Jury,” Day V
(March 15, 1991), Martinsburg, West Virginia, 1367, 1372.
73
74
Sulochan dasa, cited by John Dart in “Killing Sparks Federal Probe of Krishna Sect, Lose Angeles Times (July 20, 1986), 3.
75
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad-bhagavatam 5.9.17, purport.
76
Caitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 15.186-299.
77
Caitanya Charitamrita, Madhya 15.261.
78
Srimad Bhagavatam 4.4.17.
26
79
Caitanya Charitamrita, Adi 7.50, purport.
80
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad-bhagavatam 7.9.14, purport.
81
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad-bhagavatam 1.8.27, lecture, Los Angeles (April 19, 1973).
82
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Srimad-bhagavatam 7.9.8, lecture, Mayapur (February 28, 1977).
83
A. C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, Bhagavad-gita 2.32, purport.